View Full Version : Rubbing sound after brake job?
A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine helped me install some new rotors and brake pads. I'm now getting a sort of metallic rub/grinding sound when I first start the car and move it. The sound barely/never happens when I start the car and move forward, but it happens sometimes when I start the car and reverse esp after the rain. The sound goes away after driving 20 seconds but it does get kind of loud sometimes when I first start driving.
to describe the sound better, it sounds like a rubbing noise/whale call lol
Not sure if its relevent, but he did beat the $#!t out of the front hub with a mallet to try and get the rotor that was stuck off....ended up having to grind and chisel it out since the rotor completely broke but thats another story haha. But maybe that affected something else?
any ideas what this could be?
Wes08M3
08-13-2012, 01:19 PM
First thing, check to make sure none of the dust shields were bent forward and are now rubbing on the rotor.
If that's all ok, what type of pads did you put on? It may just be a characteristic of the pad compound.
You could have damaged the wheel bearing by smashing the rotor off but it's not very likely and the sound would probably not disappear after a short time. That being said, did you clean all the rust off of the hub before putting the new rotors on?
Did you clean the carrier brackets and lube them and the sliders and the back of the brake pads?
peterm15
08-13-2012, 01:27 PM
If your using oem. It's common. It's just the brake compounds. ( I think)
Either way. It happens to my car as well. Not all the time. Unless it has rained. Then it's for sure.
First thing, check to make sure none of the dust shields were bent forward and are now rubbing on the rotor.
If that's all ok, what type of pads did you put on? It may just be a characteristic of the pad compound.
You could have damaged the wheel bearing by smashing the rotor off but it's not very likely and the sound would probably not disappear after a short time. That being said, did you clean all the rust off of the hub before putting the new rotors on?
Did you clean the carrier brackets and lube them and the sliders and the back of the brake pads?
Dust shield - any way I can see this without taking off the rims? not really sure what you are talking about so I'm going to have to google to see it
Pads - bought some generic ceramic ones from an ebay seller. They sell alot on the corvette ls1tech forums and the acura forums so I wanted to try em out on the mazda 3.
Rotor/hub - Yes I believe he cleaned it off (I was working on something else). Rust was the reason why it was stuck to begin with. I know he applied alot of anti seize to prevent the same problem so he should have cleaned the rust too. We lubed everything up too I think, I helped him with some of this
If your using oem. It's common. It's just the brake compounds. ( I think)
Either way. It happens to my car as well. Not all the time. Unless it has rained. Then it's for sure.
Definately not normal, usually its not loud but there's been a couple of times it got loud
I could be wrong but the sound sort of sounds like its coming from under the car, as opposed to the sides where the brakes are. Could be my imagination though....
peterm15
08-13-2012, 02:46 PM
Can you post a video of the sound.
The dust shield is the black metal piece behind the rotor.
It would be easiest to take the wheel off but you can inspect most of it by getting under the car.
Jackal
08-13-2012, 02:58 PM
If your using oem. It's common. It's just the brake compounds. ( I think)
Either way. It happens to my car as well. Not all the time. Unless it has rained. Then it's for sure.
This. After raining or washing the car. When reversing out of the driveway.
Can you post a video of the sound.
The dust shield is the black metal piece behind the rotor.
It would be easiest to take the wheel off but you can inspect most of it by getting under the car.
sure, i'll try to record it when i leave work today - hopefully it happens loudly i guess?? lol. If I don't get the sound today, it's gonna rain tomorrow so I should get it then. i never had this sound before so i'm pretty sure its not that normal, also i didn't use any oem parts in this brake job.
thanks for helping me out
Wes08M3
08-13-2012, 03:44 PM
If you have 17's or 18's maybe even the OEM 16's you might just be able to stick your fingers in between the spokes of the rim and give the dust shields a little push back. Even just use a long flat head screw driver.
They look like what peterm15 described, just a black circular piece of sheet metal behind the rotors. They have a slightly larger diameter than the rotors so you should be able to see and push on them. If you can't seem to get at them you could try to reach them from under the car. But the easiest way is to just take the wheels off.
Also, while it is good to put some anti-seize on the hub, putting excessive amounts is actually a bad idea (not saying he did put too much, just an FYI in case). It can cause the rotors to "pop" off of the hub. I've seen it happen to a car that came into the shop once before. It is somewhat rare though and likely isn't your problem.
EDIT: another thing, since you mention they are just some eBay pads... Along the edge of the pad (left and right edge, not top and bottom) did they have any sort of a chamfer cut in to the friction material? By that I mean did they sort of slope downward as it got to the edge of the pad? If they didn't (a lot of cheap pads don't) it could be causing some noise as well. Material can build up on the sharp edges and make noise.
EDIT 2:
Here you can see that this pad has no chamfered edges, it also has no center groove to "catch"pad material:
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/6973/imagevvm.jpg
Whereas this pad has chamfered edges and a center groove:
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/1879/imageeph.jpg
Just a thought. It could be causing some noise, it's a fairly easy fix though.
trulankan
08-13-2012, 05:12 PM
mine make noise on the first brake after my car has been sitting overnight. its not a loud squealing noise tho, its more like a creaking noise. its kinda hard to describe but it stops after like 2 stops. I've heard that exact same noise on other cars as well so I think its just normal and yes the nosie can be different dependsing on the brake pad.
a buddy of mine changed his pads on his acura awhile ago and the squealing was so bad, kinda like nails on a chalkboard lol
It rained so I managed to make the sound even worse then usual so I could record it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uV_Fu7wMSg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
peterm15
08-14-2012, 09:39 AM
The video is set to private so i cant watch it.
The video is set to private so i cant watch it.
woops sorry, first time uploading onto youtube. Let me know if it works now. I can't check since youtube is blocked at my work
Wes08M3
08-14-2012, 01:21 PM
Oh that sound... I've seen a car with this problem after a brake job before.
Did you thoroughly clean the rotors off with brake cleaner before installing them?
Oh that sound... I've seen a car with this problem after a brake job before.
Did you thoroughly clean the rotors off with brake cleaner before installing them?
erm, no i dont think we did
[edit] would it matter though? the pads would be rubbing against the surface of the rotor anyways, so even if it wasn't clean it would have gotten worn away from the friction anyways?
maybe this is also relevent - we spraypainted the rotor hats with some high temp silver paint. i didn't think much of it since i thought other people do the same thing too, just so it doesnt look rusty. maybe thats a problem? We just sprayed around the hat where it is visible, not all over it where the rim is bolted on
btw you work at a garage? from your posts it sounds like you do. just curious
[edit 2] I sent the vid to my friend and he said it might be that the handbrake isn't releasing fully. Could it be this?
Wes08M3
08-14-2012, 01:58 PM
I've worked at a few shops, yeah. I started my automotive technician apprenticeship back in the day but decided to switch to mechanical engineering.
Anyway, that is very likely your problem then. They put an oil/wax coating on the rotors before they package them in order to prevent rusting, sometimes it's thin and not very noticeable. That oil/wax is now stuck and being absorbed into the friction material on the brake pads which is causing the noise.
You can do two things, take it all apart and clean everything (I can explain how to go about this, if you want to go this route). Or you can just wait it out until the oil/wax burns off. It will burn off eventually, some hard braking should help speed up this process. It's your choice really, it's hard to say exactly how long it would take for the noise to stop.
As long as you didn't get any paint on the actual disc (where the pads are touching) it shouldn't be a problem. I've spray painted the hats on my old RSX before, it's no big deal.
peterm15
08-14-2012, 03:00 PM
That's what my oem brakes sound like. Again. Here and there.
Well, on the theory that it might be the hand brake/cable I stopped using it (good thing its auto). Yesterday all was well. This morning, sound again when reversing =/
I've worked at a few shops, yeah. I started my automotive technician apprenticeship back in the day but decided to switch to mechanical engineering.
Anyway, that is very likely your problem then. They put an oil/wax coating on the rotors before they package them in order to prevent rusting, sometimes it's thin and not very noticeable. That oil/wax is now stuck and being absorbed into the friction material on the brake pads which is causing the noise.
You can do two things, take it all apart and clean everything (I can explain how to go about this, if you want to go this route). Or you can just wait it out until the oil/wax burns off. It will burn off eventually, some hard braking should help speed up this process. It's your choice really, it's hard to say exactly how long it would take for the noise to stop.
As long as you didn't get any paint on the actual disc (where the pads are touching) it shouldn't be a problem. I've spray painted the hats on my old RSX before, it's no big deal.
If this is the problem, wouldn't it affect me going forwards as well as reverse? This sound predominantly occurs from reversing (95% of when it does happen)
That's what my oem brakes sound like. Again. Here and there.
Doesn't worry you at all? As you can see in my video it can sometimes be pretty loud. Personally I've never heard a car make this sound before
n00bMeiSter
08-16-2012, 01:53 PM
Did you ensure the brakes were seated properly after installing them? I believe you're supposed to start the car and pump the brakes 3 times, or something to that effect (affect? damn english).
Did you ensure the brakes were seated properly after installing them? I believe you're supposed to start the car and pump the brakes 3 times, or something to that effect (affect? damn english).
yeah pretty sure we did that
Wes08M3
08-16-2012, 02:41 PM
Well, on the theory that it might be the hand brake/cable I stopped using it (good thing its auto). Yesterday all was well. This morning, sound again when reversing =/
If this is the problem, wouldn't it affect me going forwards as well as reverse? This sound predominantly occurs from reversing (95% of when it does happen).
Yes in theory it would happen regardless of the direction. How long ago did you do this brake job? I personally wouldn't say the noise is cause for concern in that it's a safety issue of some sort. But it's NOT a normal noise or acceptable in my opinion.
Try backing your car into the driveway at night and backing into your parking spot at work if possible. Then see if the noise still occurs after sitting for a while. And yes, don't use the hand brake for now, just to rule that variable out.
Did you ensure the brakes were seated properly after installing them? I believe you're supposed to start the car and pump the brakes 3 times, or something to that effect (affect? damn english).
The purpose of this is mainly to rebuild pressure in the hydraulic system after the pistons in the calipers have been compressed.
Ogata
08-16-2012, 09:27 PM
WOW that sounded like a moose call. Also what Rotors and pads are on?
Wes08M3
08-16-2012, 09:35 PM
WOW that sounded like a moose call. Also what Rotors and pads are on?
Pads - bought some generic ceramic ones from an ebay seller. They sell alot on the corvette ls1tech forums and the acura forums so I wanted to try em out on the mazda 3.
Pyro, if all else fails, the sound could just be a result of the low quality material on the pads/rotors.
Unless these are known to be high quality parts? I don't buy stuff on eBay so I have no idea...
Pyro, if all else fails, the sound could just be a result of the low quality material on the pads/rotors.
Unless these are known to be high quality parts? I don't buy stuff on eBay so I have no idea...
well its a ebay seller but they are also forum vendors on ls1tech and an acura forum as well. They are extremely popular on those forums with tons of good feedback. I was gonna post it up if they were good because I might be one of the first to run it on a mazda 3.
Let me see if I can solve this problem first. My friend is convinced its just the hand brake cable (which would have been his fault lol) and when I listen carefully it does sound like its coming from the back so he's likely to be right . Hopefully I can go by his place this weekend to take a look
TheMAN
08-19-2012, 10:42 PM
I've worked at a few shops, yeah. I started my automotive technician apprenticeship back in the day but decided to switch to mechanical engineering.
Anyway, that is very likely your problem then. They put an oil/wax coating on the rotors before they package them in order to prevent rusting, sometimes it's thin and not very noticeable. That oil/wax is now stuck and being absorbed into the friction material on the brake pads which is causing the noise.
You can do two things, take it all apart and clean everything (I can explain how to go about this, if you want to go this route). Or you can just wait it out until the oil/wax burns off. It will burn off eventually, some hard braking should help speed up this process. It's your choice really, it's hard to say exactly how long it would take for the noise to stop.
As long as you didn't get any paint on the actual disc (where the pads are touching) it shouldn't be a problem. I've spray painted the hats on my old RSX before, it's no big deal.
beats the hell out of me why nobody takes the extra time to spray some brake cleaner on new rotors and wipe the oil off of them!
I always did that in the shop and still do today
matt9
08-22-2012, 10:03 PM
This is EXACTLY what OEM pads/rotors sound like randomly when it rains/car wash. I have heard that noise here and there since I bought the car brand new.
wmzda5
12-27-2012, 03:33 PM
This is EXACTLY what OEM pads/rotors sound like randomly when it rains/car wash. I have heard that noise here and there since I bought the car brand new.
True ΔΔΔΔ
I got this since day 1 I bought the car and it all Mazda cars not only 3, 6, 5, cx7, etc. I gave an explanation before on an older thread (2yrs ago)
1). Its because of the rust that accumulates on our rotors. + the fact that it only happens going backwards, because when going backwards your pads doesn't sit properly on the rotor (pad wear not aligned to rotor wear marks)
2). + most mazda rotors are bigger compared to other manufacturers resulting in louder around because it resonate more.
3). + chamfering or lack of it. It helps to minimize the vibration to start in the forst lace, it has something to do with theapproach angle of the pad material.
4). Try lube the slider pin it will help align the pads properly to the rotor.
Again I posted this on anotherost about 2 yra ago when I change my rotors @ 68k km now I'm at 154k km and still OK the pads are still almost new,
And also the comment on eBay stuff....
Not because they are sold on eBay or kijiji they are no good. Do your research, look at the actual part look for the quality of the castings (vents surface). No matter how you look at it cast iron is cast iron they will still rust no matter what. It is the quality of the workmanship that matters and you can see that by looking at thew parts. I have had the kijiji cross drilled rotors on my car far longer than the ``ORIGINAL`` that is installed from the factory.
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